Doctoral training in Uganda: evaluation of mentoring best practices at Makerere university college of health sciences

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dc.contributor.authorNakanjako, Damalie
dc.contributor.authorKatamba, Achilles
dc.contributor.authorKaye, Dan K.
dc.contributor.authorOkello, Elialilia
dc.contributor.authorKamya, Moses R.
dc.contributor.authorSewankambo, Nelson
dc.contributor.authorMayanja-Kizza, Harriet
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-18T15:27:10Z
dc.date.available2023-01-18T15:27:10Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractGood mentoring is a key variable for determining success in completing a doctoral program. We identified prevailing mentoring practices among doctoral students and their mentors, identified common challenges facing doctoral training, and proposed some solutions to enhance the quality of the doctoral training experience for both candidates and mentors at Makerere University College of Health Sciences (MakCHS). Methods: This cross-sectional qualitative evaluation was part of the monitoring and evaluation program for doctoral training. All doctoral students and their mentors were invited for a half-day workshop through the MakCHS mailing list. Prevailing doctoral supervision and mentoring guidelines were summarised in a one-hour presentation. Participants were split into two homogenous students’ (mentees’) and mentors’ groups to discuss specific issues using a focus group discussion (FGD) guide, that highlighted four main themes in regard to the doctoral training experience; what was going well, what was not going well, proposed solutions to current challenges and perceived high priority areas for improvement. The two groups came together again and the note-takers from each group presented their data and discussions were recorded by a note-taker. Results: Twelve out of 36 invited mentors (33%) and 22 out of 40 invited mentees (55%) attended the workshop. Mentors and mentees noted increasing numbers of doctoral students and mentors, which provided opportunities for peer mentorship. Delays in procurement and research regulatory processes subsequently delayed students’ projects. Similarly, mentees mentioned challenges of limited; 1) infrastructure and mentors to support basic science research projects, 2) physical office space for doctoral students and their mentors, 3) skills in budgeting and finance management and 4) communication skills including conflict resolution. As solutions, the team proposed skills’ training, induction courses for doctoral students-mentor teams, and a Frequently Asked Questions’ document, to better inform mentors’, mentees’ expectations and experiences. Conclusion: Systemic and infrastructural limitations affect the quality of the doctoral training experience at MaKCHS. Clinical and biomedical research infrastructure, in addition to training in research regulatory processes, procurement and finance management, communication skills and information technology, were highlighted as high priority areas for strategic interventions to improve mentoring within doctoral training of clinician scientists.en_US
dc.identifier.citationNakanjako, D., Katamba, A., Kaye, D. K., Okello, E., Kamya, M. R., Sewankambo, N., & Mayanja-Kizza, H. (2014). Doctoral training in Uganda: evaluation of mentoring best practices at Makerere university college of health sciences. BMC Medical Education, 14(1), 1-8. doi:10.1186/1472-6920-14-9en_US
dc.identifier.other10.1186/1472-6920-14-9
dc.identifier.urihttps://nru.uncst.go.ug/handle/123456789/7022
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherBMC Medical Educationen_US
dc.subjectMentorshipen_US
dc.subjectDoctoral trainingen_US
dc.subjectSupervisionen_US
dc.subjectCapacity buildingen_US
dc.subjectHealth careen_US
dc.subjectLow and middle income countriesen_US
dc.titleDoctoral training in Uganda: evaluation of mentoring best practices at Makerere university college of health sciencesen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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